


Gold Isn't Everything

by theLazarus



Category: Greta Van Fleet (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Western, Both POVs, Country & Western, Cowboy AU, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Romance, cowboys to lovers, goldrush era, yes Sam & Danny are cowboys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:00:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29826027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theLazarus/pseuds/theLazarus
Summary: Sam & Danny set out to ride west for gold, but what their hearts discover on the journey might be richer than even that.
Relationships: Sam Kiszka & Danny Wagner, Sam Kiszka/Danny Wagner
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is, I feel anyway, kind of a weird one, but I love cowboys. And I love Sam & Danny. The thought of them actually in cowboy getup and on horseback is...funny and endearing. You already know how much I love their friendship <3 
> 
> I'm not really good with history, even with my love of cowboys and the west, so take this all as you will. These two are off to Los Angeles for a totally different reason in this fic :)

_I've got big dreams in my mind_

_I would give up my whole life for that feeling_

_No, I don't mind_

_If I lose my legs or die_

_I've built a home inside his eyes_

_And I ain't leavin'_

\---

“I got you, cowboy.”

Sam’s eyelids fluttered slightly at the words uttered to him, the voice from above as soft and as sweet as the warm air that brushed over his cheeks; then rough but tender fingers were also brushing over his cheeks and Sam’s face felt hot, only a little relief given when the shadow of his companion dipped over him.

“What--what did I do?” Sam asked, a little garbled, reaching a hand up to place over his forehead. He was sweating and he suddenly felt like he had landed on the sun itself; he felt the desert earth hot under his body, through his clothes, and then those rough fingers were trailing over his cheek again.

“You passed out,” the voice said again, a little chuckle to punctuate the statement. Sam opened his eyes enough to see Danny above him, all dark hair and big, sparkling eyes. “Heat exhaustion, Sam.” He turned for a moment, returning with a canteen in his hand, and gently cupped the back of Sam’s head: “Drink.” 

Sam squinted as he turned his head to the side. “How much do we have left?” 

“Enough. We’re close to town, we’ll be good there.” Danny urged the canteen even closer. “Just gotta get you back on your saddle, cowboy.”

Sam grimaced a little in the stark sun but sat up, taking the water to his lips. “Yeah, some cowboy--passin’ out while I take a piss.” 

Danny chuckled again. “It’s hot. Really hot.” 

Sam rolled his eyes. The water was cool enough to soothe the dryness of his tongue and teeth and he had to stop himself from drinking all of it. Even if they were close to clean water and a bed, it still felt like a lifetime in the dry heat and beneath that ever-glowing sun. He gripped sand beneath his hand, sliding his fingers into it, and sipped slowly with his eyes on Danny. He was looking up then, up at the clear blue sky, his head tipped back and a thin sheen of sweat on his throat.

It already felt like an eon of riding, of traveling, together. Nearly polar opposites in many ways, Sam felt an intense kinship with Danny nonetheless, one that he’d never felt with anyone else. They’d decided to make the journey together because of convenience more than anything but, in the time they’d spent together, Sam couldn’t imagine ever parting. He hoped that wouldn’t be in their future. If they got to California and found gold, great; if they made it there and were met with nothing but each other, that would be fine with him, too. 

“Easy does it,” Danny chided when Sam was back on his feet and placing one in the stirrup, hiking himself up onto his horse. 

“Uh-huh,” Sam mumbled back, cozying himself into the ride as much as he could. He waited for Danny to take the lead as always, following behind only momentarily until they were side by side, headed ever westward. 

\---

“Orion,” Danny declared, pointing up at the bundles of stars in the sky. Another night, another endless expanse of the deepest sapphire Sam had ever seen, and the most brilliant and dizzying smattering of silver stars that ever glittered through his vision. He’d seen so many starry skies in his life but none of them seemed quite as remarkable as when he was with Danny, lying on his back, his entire vision nothing but the infinite universe. The same sky was everywhere--in California, no doubt someone was mirroring them, also pointing at the sky to pick out constellations and make wishes. 

Sam shifted on his blanket, trying to work past a lump of earth that was jutting into his shoulder blade. “How do you know?”

“Look,” Danny said, keeping his finger pointed, eyes darting over to Sam to get his attention. “You start with the belt. See? And then you see his bow.”

Sam pursed his lips, studying the stars. “And the rest?”

“It all just comes together if you really look.” Danny laid his hand on his chest and caught Sam’s eyes again. “You don’t see it?”

“No, I do,” Sam said, a half-truth. He studied the sky with more intention and saw a familiar spread of stars, pointing and looking to Danny with more excitement than was probably warranted, in hindsight. “The Big Dipper.”

Danny put his hands behind his head, stretching a little as he looked up. “The Big Dipper--there it is,” he affirmed, turning to give a little smile to Sam.

Something in Sam tingled at that, something came blissfully and terrifyingly alive when Danny smiled at him like that but, beneath the stars and the moon, both of them sheathed in darkness with shadows and slants of light flicking over their faces from the fire, and cool air, with the open air of the desert around them, he felt that nameless feeling run through his entire being. It scared him.

Sam felt the slight warmth of the sun on his cheek before he actually saw the sun. Before he saw the sun, he felt an arm around his waist and a body pressed up against his. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming still but he’d never felt the sun like that in a dream, or the soft breeze dance over his skin, or the weight of another person around him like that--never in a dream. 

He turned his head to glance over his shoulder. Of course it was Danny--who else? His horse couldn’t hold him like that. He looked over to their loyal steeds, still dozing, still right where they’d left them. The horses never left their sides--Sam figured they were very smart animals, knowing that they would perish if they left him and Danny, maybe even knowing that Sam and Danny would also perish if the horses left them. Sam felt like he might perish if Danny were to leave him, too. When they reached their destination, deep in the belly of California, would they go their separate ways? The unknown gnawed at him.

With each night, Sam cared a little bit less about the gold. He’d gone on the journey with Danny for the same reasons, not to become rich but to have a better, different life but, along the way, he thought he found something even more profound than that--a friend, a companion, unlike no other. Danny clearly wasn’t born wild or with the determination and grit of a cowboy in his soul but he’d grown into it. Quiet yet strong, willful and eager to take on new challenges, he felt like the solid force Sam had needed in his life for so long. Sam had always had his head in the clouds, feet off the ground, and trekking across plains and deserts with Danny had made him realize just how much he needed to be tethered to the earth, just a little bit. 

Sam wanted to lean into Danny’s touch but he was thirsty, his mouth and throat parched. He carefully lifted Danny’s arm and slid across his roll, groping for his canteen. The next town-- it wasn't far. That’s what Danny said. Sitting up and squinting, Sam thought he could see the fuzzy outline of it in the distance. Maybe a mirage. But it was still there after he took a few sips of water. After this town, their journey would be even more whittled. 

He looked over when Danny stirred and rolled over, rubbing his eyes before blinking up at the dawn. “Sorry,” he murmured, his eyes flicking to Sam. “I heard you shivering in the night. Fire went out.”

Sam glanced at the pile of burnt wood and char. “It’s alright. Thank you.”

Danny grinned a little. “Need to get some meat on you, Sam.”

Sam snickered. “Hard to do that right now, don’t you think?”

Danny nodded, yawning. “It is. But soon, we’ll have a big, hot dinner and fresh, clean, cool water.” He sat up slowly, knees bowing. “And beer. Lots of beer.”

“We got plenty of rye left in the flask,” Sam reminded him. “You’re not much of a drinker, are you?”

“I wanted to save it. Seeing as how close we are, we might as well drink it after our night in town--whaddya say?”

“We’ll be riding for a few days, a few nights. We should save it for the last one, right before we get to Los Angeles.”

“I agree.” Danny leaned over and poked at the diffused fire pit. “Damn. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let this go out.”

Sam wanted to tell him that it was actually a bit of a blessing that it went out, that it worked in his favor. Having Danny so close to him, wrapped around him, had made him warmer than any fire ever could. But all he said, again, was, “It’s alright.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was waiting for Rockfic to go back up so I could cross-post but...here we go anyway :)

Danny loved riding. He loved the feeling of the big, strong animal underneath him, assuring his safety, and the wind that tickled his skin and moved through his hair. He loved being higher up, able to survey his surroundings like the vultures that sometimes circled overhead off in the distance; he loved being able to control the pace of his journey, never faltering due to tired feet or sore legs; he loved running his fingers through his horse’s mane, appreciating the slight coarseness of it, appreciating the softer fur along the horse’s neck. He’d never felt so free in his life--riding, following old and new paths through the wild world, made him feel like he was free for all eternity, like he had grabbed hold of the universe and made it his own.

Part of him believed in destiny; another part of him believed that he had nothing but free will and choices to make, and therefore could bend his destiny in all sorts of ways. What he was sure of most of all, during this journey, was that Sam was part of his destiny.

There had to have been some magic at play to bring them together. Yes, they both decided on pairing off and quite literally riding off into the sunset together, but Danny still felt like some knowing and generous spirit of the universe allowed that to happen. He was grateful. He knew he couldn’t have done it on his own, not happily, anyway. The idea of riding across the land with no one but his horse--who he was also grateful for--seemed so lonely to him. No one to stroke the fire with, no one to share meager meals with, no one to swap stories with. No one to hold when the nights got so starkly cold.

Danny had observed Sam at home for a long time. Observed, of course--he was good at that. He had watched Sam flutter and fly all over their homeland for years, watched him bounce from person to person, seemingly having the time of his life. He hadn’t been sure if they’d be a good match for such a long and arduous journey but soon Danny realized that his stillness, like a quiet, deep lake, was something that Sam appreciated, maybe even craved. 

And, more than he could have ever predicted, Danny appreciated how swiftly Sam moved even within his mind. He could zip from one idea to the next, like the gears in his mind never slowed, and that mouth could run a mile a minute sometimes. But when things got deafeningly silent at night, when their horses started to doze and the stars glittered all around, Sam reflected the serenity of it all. He liked to tend to the fire just as much as Danny and, Danny had noticed, that he liked to steal little glances at him all the time, dark eyes mirroring the orange and yellow flames. Danny liked to cook with those flames, preparing their late dinner, and liked to use the small, surviving flames in the morning to roast their coffee; Sam loved that, loved the coffee so much, even when he was spitting damp grounds down to the earth. Danny had never been brave enough to let Sam know he saw him. Really saw him. 

It was true that Sam had been shivering during the night, teeth chattering away and that almost-too-slight body shaking in the dark. Danny could barely see it but he could feel it from his few feet away, so he dragged himself over and wrapped himself around Sam, who almost instantly settled down and into the warm body around him. Danny was tempted to stroke that sharp cheekbone and run his fingers through the silky hair, but he was also content just to provide some much-needed heat. He could get the fire going again, but he liked this more.

Getting to town took less time than Danny expected--he and Sam rode up into it just before the sun started to set. The same sandy earth was stretched out as far as he could see and, following the invisible line, the sky beyond was just starting to turn coral and orange through delicate wisps of white clouds, the colors so faint it was like peaches and cream in his eyes. That sounded good. Danny wasn’t sure exactly what the tavern would have to offer them, but he figured it’d be better than what he and Sam had been having for days. He really did want something sweet, though--he missed the taste of white sugar and cream in his coffee, never realizing how many little things he’d taken for granted before he was glued to a horse’s back most of the time.

The horses might enjoy a little more social activity, too--maybe get a kick out of the litle bustle of people around them. They probably needed a break just as much as their riders did. Danny and Sam trussed them up safely outside the tavern and headed in, the wood clunking beneath their boots sounding and feeling almost unfamiliar to Danny. The longer they rode west, the more distant the solitary life felt for him. He tripped on the last step up and Sam caught his arm, propping him upright.

“Easy, cowboy,” he laughed, patting Danny on the shoulder.

Danny hooked his arm around Sam’s shoulders, pulling him in close. “Uh-huh. You ready for that beer?” 

Sam smiled and kicked Danny’s boot with his own. “I can already taste it.”

Danny was still thinking about the peaches and cream sky that was behind them; then, as he smiled back at Sam, he was thinking about toffee. Rich, sweet, sugary toffee, almost like the color of Sam’s eyes and his sun-tanned skin.

\--

Sam loved the buzz of conversation and action inside the tavern. It had felt like a lifetime since he’d been around so many people and his ears perking up to one conversation only to be quickly brought over to another. So many words exchanged between so many people; so many men like he and Danny but also not. Most of the other cowboys were older, or at least looked much older. Had it been that way at the last tavern? Or were the more experienced men the only ones who were making it? He felt a little out of place, realizing his age and his naivety. Yes, that had been a part of this whole thing--he couldn’t have ever truly imagined how hard it would be to do nothing but ride and camp for so long. 

Sam glanced over at Danny, who met his eye; the slight raise of his eyebrows and tilt of his head let Sam know that they were thinking the same thing. They were a little out of place but they were there, and that’s all that mattered. It also mattered that they had food to eat and beer to drink and would have beds to sleep in tonight. And Danny’s words continued to ring in Sam’s mind--they were close, so close.

“At least if you pass out later, it’ll be in a bed,” Danny said with a sly grin, bumping his glass with Sam’s from across the table. “But if you do pass out on the floor down here, you know I’ll be there to scoop you up.”

Sam felt his cheeks flush. “You think I’m a wimp, don’t you, Danny?” 

“No.” Danny bumped their glasses together again, nudging Sam’s toward him. “You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. Even if you do faint in the middle of the desert and need me to keep you from dying of hypothermia.”

The beer must have really been hitting Danny. Sam wasn’t used to him teasing like that, though he didn’t mind. He kind of liked it--Danny looked like everything he said to Sam was the funniest thing ever uttered, and Sam could see the deep pink blush over the bridge of his nose and the tops of his cheeks, and how delightfully his eyes glimmered when Sam sipped his beer and raised his eyebrows at him. 

“I’d never make it without you,” Sam said. When Danny didn’t give any sort of response other than a very slight, almost invisible tightening of his brow, he wondered if that had gone too far. But it was the truth.

Danny leaned forward a little. “Why do you say that?” 

Sam finished his beer, already wanting another. He couldn’t get into all of it now, not what was pounding in his heart, so he said, “Like you said--you keep me from dying.” That was still the truth.

Danny laughed a little. “Yeah, I suppose I do. But you keep me from dying, too.”

“Naw,” Sam said, the word slurred from the sudden onset of all those beers, just then hitting him. “If I wasn’t with you, you’d make it. You’d get to California and get all that gold, even more gold, and you’d be fine.”

“Gold isn’t everything.” Danny leaned in even more, his relaxed, slightly curled knuckles brushing up against Sam’s forearm. “Companionship is everything. I didn’t have anybody else to do this with, Sam, but I’m glad for it. Having you with me is...well, like nothing I’ve ever had before.”

A nervous but excited lump grew in Sam’s throat. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah.”

The gaze shared between them lasted long enough to send a shiver through Sam’s whole body. Once it reached the base of his spine, he laughed a little with his cheeks blazing even hotter than they do under the desert sun, and held up his empty glass: “We need some more.”

Danny smiled, sweet but unreadable. “Yeah, we really do.”

\--

The room Sam had been given was cozy enough--the wood surrounding him was deep and warm and the bed looked like the freshest, most inviting place he’d seen in a while. The sheets were a little scratchy and worn but far better than his used up sleeping roll on top of dirt; there was a window adjacent, and he looked out to the deep onyx wall of the world outside and let out a heavy breath. He was still buzzed, both from the alcohol and from Danny, and was wondering if his companion felt the same. 

Danny was complicated, being much less transparent than Sam, and he felt that more intensely this night than he had ever before. It felt like something shifted between them as those truths were shared by Sam and validated by Danny--it didn’t feel like a shift in a negative direction but like a shift nonetheless, and it made Sam nervous. He hoped the rest of their travels wouldn’t be awkward and uncomfortable. He couldn’t bear that. 

Beneath the scratchy sheets, Sam turned on his side to look out the window. He was left to think about the first time he and Danny rode off together, when his heart had been pounding with anticipation and excitement, nothing but determination and bliss with all the hopes of discovering a new sort of world at his feet. But then he realized that he didn’t like sleeping without Danny by him. Yes, he would be warm all night, but he still couldn’t let go of the thought--and the lost feeling--of Danny’s body cradling his and how badly he wanted that again.

Still, Sam would sleep deep, dreams of blazing yellow suns that loomed in an endless, cloudless sky and Danny’s dark hair shining in the light, so close as it rustled in the wind that Sam could almost reach out and grab it like reigns.


End file.
